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[at-l] Franconia to Crawford (was Need info on HATT sections)



I know Franconia to Crawford.

It starts out with a good but very steady climb - nothing too difficult 
there if you're used to elevation gains of 3000'.  The Franconia Ridge is 
not too hard with some of the best views in the Whites.  Greenleaf hut is 1 
mile down off Lafayette.

The trail continues along the Garfield Ridge which is a pain in the a*&.  
It's very rough and the profile does not do all the ups and downs justice.  
I think the hills are just within the contours.  Also, the trail itself 
along this region is very rocky, often steep, and requires your hands here 
and there.  Great views of the Pemigewasset Wilderness and Owl's Head from 
Garfield.  The Garfield campsite (and shelter, I think) is right off the 
trail.

The trail continues rough to Galehead Hut.  (It's a quick trip up Galehead 
for sunset...)  Then there's a good climb up South Twin from the hut.  The 
trail over Guyot is exposed giving more good views in good weather and being 
potentially dangerous in bad weather.  Lot's more boulder hopping to 
Zeacliff.  Spectacular view of Zealand Notch from the cliff.  You can see 
the trail crossing the slide under Whitewall Mtn. on the far side of the 
notch.

It's pretty quick to get down to Zealand Hut from the cliff.  There are 
falls to play in.  Then, it's mostly flat (lot's of former railroad bed) to 
Thoreau Falls (there's a great swimming hole upstream just a few feet).  
There's lots of new trail from Shoal Pond Trail to Ethan Pond (great sunsets 
from the pond).  Lot's of trail work (new puncheons, etc.) after Ethan Pond. 
  It's a flat and downhill walk out to Crawford Notch (Ripley Falls is a .3 
side trip with lots of tourists less than .2 mile from the parking lot - in 
case you're looking to kill time at the end).

I would recommend anyone doing this hike to be in pretty good condition with 
some rough 4000'ers (or more) under their belt already this season.  With 
the exception of the last 7-8 miles (after Zealand), it is a difficult 
section of trail.

There are some good campsites between Zealand (.5 miles south of the hut on 
the AT and in the area around the Shoal Pond trail) and Ethan Pond.  Other 
than that, I would plan on staying at the huts or Garfield campsites.

If you're a peakbagger, this a great way to get eight 4000'ers, five of 
which are literally on the trail, the rest of which are not too far off.

Let me know if I can answer any further questions.

Mara
Stitches, GAME99

P.S.  Pollywog to Katahdin?  Good views of the mountain - food at Abol 
Bridge - flat trail - BIG and HARD climb at the end (but you don't need to 
carry your backpack up the mountain.  :-)


>From: DaRedhead@aol.com
>To: <at-l@backcountry.net>
>Subject: [at-l] Need info on HATT sections
>Date: Wed Jun 28 09:10:36 2000
>
>I need to get some information for a gentleman who is trying to decide 
>which section to do.  Does anyone have intimate knowledge of the general 
>terrain, possible hightlights, difficulty level, of the following two 
>sections?  Please let me know asap.  Thanks!
>
>The Redhead
>
>FRANCONIA NOTCH north to CRAWFORD NOTCH
>POLLYWOG STREAM north to MOUNT KATAHDIN
>* From the AT-L |  Need help? http://www.backcountry.net/faq.html  *

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